Five Things to Remember When Creating Content

Mark Fullilove

March 18th 2014

Content Marketing

#1 Determine what readers want

“Give the people what they want” Google tells us it. Every marketer says it. Every industry publication pronounces it. It sounds as easy as learning your ABCs, but when it comes to content it’s not always so simple.

What Mr Smith wants may be different to what Mrs Jones wants from the content she reads. Essentially, it’s impossible to satisfy everyone, simply because people have different requirements, different buying habits, and different interests. But that’s where the marketing nous kicks in.

If you can find an angle and a story, or a gap in the market for a particular niche, you can tailor your content towards those various interests – as long as it has a relevancy to your client; don’t force it for the sake of it. Websites like Quora and Reddit can provide topical and popular ideas to serve as inspiration.

#2 Be prepared for a fight

This doesn’t mean a stick them up and lets take it outside approach. This means that you have got to take the rough with the smooth. Be prepared for knock-backs and frustrations as well as success. If your content is failing to get attraction don’t just give up, take a step back and re-examine it; is there something you can change that will make all the difference? A different approach you could take, or would it work better if focused around an upcoming event?

#3 Think topical, newsworthy, resourceful

In any form of marketing you have to be adaptable and flexible and build a strategy that encompasses topical, relevant issues – therefore you need to know whats going on in the world. Read a newspaper or three, scan Twitter, watch Sky News. If you don’t know what content the world is already being served with how can you hope to join in?

#4 Remember that old saying try, try again

You have probably heard that old saying if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again countless times but never has it been truer in a changeable industry such as marketing. Attempts aren’t always going to be successful and it’s as much about learning from what you have done, as it is about trying something different. Constantly look to refine your skills, revisit your steps and see if you can change anything that you have done in the past.

#5 Success can be measured in different ways

The blurring of the lines between PR, content marketing and SEO has meant a convergence of skills: in this industry, you need to know your onions, as much as they may make you feel like crying from time to time. And this rings as true for measurement as it does for the actual content creation process.

There are many factors to take into consideration and success can be measured in different ways. Obviously climbing the Google rankings is the primary goal, but other ways to measure success include:

Social Shares

Press coverage

Unique website visits

Returning website visits

Conversions

Sign-ups

Links

Link building shouldn’t be the only factor to take into consideration. It is undoubtedly a major part in building authority and strengthening a backlink profile. But non-linking coverage can also be beneficial. This helps to raise awareness of your brand and can also open up new doors for you as an influencer on a certain subject or industry.

If a piece of content gets shared or retweeted hundreds of times then that should be considered a success too, as it is driving traffic and eyes to your website and this can lead to people linking naturally of their own accord. Ultimately a combination of all factors is the end goal.